Know Justice, Know Peace — A Homily
Brothers and sisters, we have had a lot of singing today so far. Do you want one more? If you know it please join in.
God’s spirit is in my heart, He has called me and set me apart
This is what I have to do,
What I have to do
He sent me to bring the good news to the poor
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more
Tell Blind people that they can see
And set the downtrodden free
And go tell everyone the news that the Kingdom of God has come
And go tell everyone the news that God’s Kingdom has come
Now, if any of you have had the privilege of passing outside Rosary Boys RC School when they’re having their sing along and they sing that song, you would have heard that there’s this little echo that they do. So we sing “tell blind people that they can see” and they sing SEE. Then we sing ‘…and set the downtrodden free’ and they shout FREE.
Now those of you who remember your own childhood will know there are certain songs that from the time you hear the intro, you waiting for one particular part. You don’t care about the song yuh know, you might not even care to sing, period, but for that one part…That is what you waiting on. Well I can tell you that the first morning I had that particular privilege, I can’t remember where my mind was but it wasn’t on the here and now. But that sound, note not the song, but that sound, pulled me from wherever I was, back into the moment and at the same time sent me back to my own childhood mischief, and I could not help it my spirits lifted and I had to smile. That sound was the sound of pure unadulterated joy, wildness and abandon. The sound of children singing and laughing is a universal symbol of hope. Advertisers know this and they use it all the time. It affects us on a psychological and a spiritual level.
By contrast, so many times when we turn on our nightly news, the images we see have the opposite effect. We see images of children, crying, screaming in either pain, fear or rage or even worse from my perspective anyway those still shots of children who have gone missing or have turned up dead and the stark silence that accompanies them.
Which of these two opposites is the reality? They both are. We live in a world of extremes. Back in the 70s someone, no one seems to know exactly who, came up with a slogan “Know Justice Know Peace. No Justice, No Peace. Basically there can be no peace without Justice. I think that we can all agree that there is great truth in that little slogan. But what is Justice and why are we all here today?
In the first reading God says clearly to us through the prophet that He does not want our empty service or sacrifice. He wants Justice that flows like a river. Now for those of us who have been on the receiving end of flood waters, this image may be hard for us to swallow. But let’s break it down a little. Let’s imagine that this is not an island, there is no coastline, no cool Caribbean breezes, and it is very, very, hot. The river doesn’t just flow, it draws all living creatures to it. It cools us down, it cleanses us, it nurtures us. While trees and plants may be withered and dying everywhere else, those that grow on the banks of the river are lush and green and give shade, shelter and fruit. This is what God wants us to create here on earth, a justice that is accessible to everyone. One that protects the environment and the most vulnerable among us. One that all living creatures are drawn to and that mirrors the justice of the God’s own Kingdom. One that is clean and pure.
How can this be accomplished? We look to the Gospel Reading for that answer.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4: 16–21)
Good news to the poor, sight to the blind, free the prisoners.. all of that sounds wonderful and lovely but tell me, do we really want any of that? Back in April 2016, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of this Archdiocese, His Excellency Joseph Harris, led a petition asking that certain prisoners be granted their freedom. Many of us immediately raised concerns. To make sure we’re on the same page here let me re-iterate what that petition was really about. Archbishop Harris was asking that those prisoners who were in Remand Yard, had NOT been brought to trial, and had been there as much as or longer than the maximum sentence they would have gotten had they been found guilty of the crime for which they were arrested be set free. Now we say all the time that justice delayed is justice is justice denied. Can any of us here imagine for a moment what it must be like to be arrested for something that you did not do and to never be given the opportunity to have your case heard? What if you did something the maximum penalty for which it 3 months and two years later you case has not been heard. Somehow, when we ourselves are in a situation we are quick to demand justice and we want it yesterday. When though we have done something wrong or hurtful we ask for mercy. Yet we are unable to see that another person might have the same needs. Friends, when there is no justice how can we know peace? Until and unless we are willing to create that river of justice in this land. Until we are able to truly love the other as ourselves, want the same things for each other that we want for ourselves, we will not know peace and our children will be unable to sing.
The Justice of God’s Kingdom though can really confuse us. If we look at that parable in Matthew 20 about the labourers who came at different times and were paid the same amount we can deduct from that that God’s justice is unfair. If we look at it from a different perspective though, we can come away with the idea that God’s justice is merciful. Here was this landowner who actively sought opportunities to allow people a decent days wage to take home to their families. Are we actively looking for and creating opportunities for justice and peace in the spaces within which we have been planted. Well, look around, first of all, you are all here. You answered the call and you came from those spaces. You are here from various denominations, walks of life, parts of the country and you are here together. That is a start. Let me make a suggestion, don’t leave without getting to know one person that you did not know before you got here. When you leave here resolve to seek out ways to Be justice, to be peace in this land.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunities you present us with every day to see you at work in others. Help us to actively seek you out. Help us to come to know and to mirror your Justice in this world. Help us to be Your peace. We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord Amen.
Nicole Poyer
About the Author:
Nicole lectures serves on the board of directors at the Sehon Goodridge Theological Society and lecturers in our Diploma in Theology Programme. Nicole is a trained Youth Minister and Catechist, who currently serves her parish church as a Lay Minister and Lector. She is also cofounder of the Sychar House of Prayer which aims to advance the cause of Christian Unity through healthy dialogue and peaceful encounters deeply rooted in the Gospel of Love.
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